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[Region 1][Map 07][Location 02] Snapgallows

Well, my band of Four Happy Carpet Orcs (aged 3 to 13) and I have decided to do a map, we browsed about and they chose Snapgallows, purely, I think, because of the recent influence of the Corpse Bride.
We are using this adventure to teach them the basics of several programs, Inkscape, Sketchup, Photoshop, PD Particles/Dogwaffle, and the original Terragen, so far, though the output of all of them may not make it into the final image.
Creative story telling will also be a big part of their journey, as every map needs a history, especially for children. I entertain the ones who are not actively working on the 2 laptops with bits of jibberish concerning just about everything I can think of, they ask amazingly astute questions, and we refine the tale.
Hopefully this will be the beginning of at least one Cartographers' or Tellers' long term journey, and as it is really for their enjoyment it may not be entirely appropriate for big folk, but you can take that up with the FHCO Inc. muscle.

Some of the basics so far, contingent upon the whims and wiles of FHCO Inc.

Snapgallows is now a village of middling size, rather grim and unkempt.
It sets on the remnants of a older, much more refined Town, once known as Haughley.
Of early Haughley little is known. That Limestone was skillfully quarried is evident from the partially standing town walls and towers that encircle Snapgallows, several fine structures walled and floored entirely with limestone blocks and slabs, and, of course, the large scale Quarry and myriad of Quarrier Digs,narrow twisting tunnels which followed the veins of blue tinted Limestone deep beneath the hill which stands to the north f Snapgallow. These tunnels were the earliest manner in which the fine Snapgallow limestone was quarried and a quite numerous. seldom visited in these days, as shal be seen.

Snapgallows, and Haughley in its time, is governed by members of the Seven Families, folk of above average wealth and status who through politic and persuasion (some times heavy handed) wheedled their way to the seat of power and control.

Most houses in Snapgallows are cobwalled with shingled roofing made from castoffs from the quarry, here and there bits of the older, finer buildings have been absorbed into even the roughest hovel. The Seven Families have made their homes from the last of the fully standing Haughley structures, a few of which were actually houses, some of which were quarry stone cutter's halls, (making for vast drafty rooms, bitterly cold in winter, but status outweighs comfort) and one of which was the original Haughley gaol (owned now by the Oboro Family, which sets firmly, and somewhat resentfully, at the bottom of the Snapgallows Seven Families Hierarchy).

Employment/livelihood. The Seven Families money is thought to come from trade, transport and security, as they are not known to raise a hand in labor, but many rumor that filching from caravans they have been paid to protect adds much to their purses.
Most other Snappies, as they are oft called, subsist by working the land, with taters and sow corn being the main crops. Taters for eating and sow corn for feeding, as the raising of a furry little piggish creature known as a casked belly hammer is another Snapgallow livelihood. Casked Belly Hammer's are rather intelligent and grow extremely quick on a limited diet, making for the perfect livestock. "Feeds itself and tastes grand", is the local opinion of these little porkers.
A semi feral breed of goat, known as Quarriers, as they roam the sparse fields near the diggings, is herded for its milk, making a tasty sharp cheese and the squeakiest curds ever heard.

Most other skills follow from these livelihoods, cheesemaker, glover, skinner, tanner, brewer (tatershine!), and so on. As well as the more common trades as merchant, smith, barber, pother, seamstress, booter and the like.

The origination of the name of Snapgallows, as opposed to its earlier moniker Haughley, is a tale in itself, concerning the last day and words of one Alfert Kier, Tanner by Trade, and his death above Gwillam's Seat atop Snapgallow Hill,,and shall be extolled upon the CWBP Wiki in due time.
"Fear the Head of Alfert Kier"

It has been quite fun really, and luckily I am more the child minder than parent, as only the oldest, Lizzy, is mine, so once they are all suitably scared by the Head of Alfert Kier, I can send them home to keep their parents awake with their own version of the tales,,,which I have no qualms plagiarizing when better than mine.
And Thrubmorton Fen gives me a locale to drop the daily stories I have been telling Lizzy and her youngest sister for years, into. In a form that is much easier to read than my scratchings, and much more tangible to them.
Thanks, SeerBlue

Well, we of the FHCO Inc, thank you, the kids are quite happy an adult who is not related likes their/our effort. A lot of the little things, from wet boots to Cask Belly Hammers, started out as things they said. Ask them what they would need to survive in Snapgallows and let them do some internet searches on medeival england (of all places) and we run from there.
Today we spent at the Journey Museum here in RC SD, which covers Black hills history from dinosaurs, thru Native American history and cowboys, to geology.
So they are full of little germs of ideas for things to add. One of their favorite things is a full length Horse hair coat a local cowhand wore in the 1800's, so we talked about that for awhile and finally came up with a reason one would wear one, which will find its way into Snapgallows, "Well, the old bolt carried me for 20 years on her back with never a wicker, so I thought it only fair to return the favor"....
Gotta love kids

Hopefully we are putting in enough little things to be hooks, reasons for further expansion, I find now that I have to keep a notepad or their PDA around to keep up. I sent them off yesterday with some very old copies of a D and D related magazine and they are really looking at the maps and stories hard, the oldest boy reads to the younger, which is good in itself. SeerBlue

the FHCO and I are still chugging away at Snapgallows, right now they have a real good understanding of Sketchup, as far as making simple roofed and textured buildings for a map point of view, not all buildings have chimneys yet, some may not get them at all, poor chilly louts, and for the first map we are leaving out doors and windows due to laptop memory limits. Their laptop can handle it, but mine is olllld and slow, so moving the file back and forth for two to work on, (one building, one texturing) would be a problem. But, as we can export single buildings as skp files, and keep its position for reimport, "Rasce" as he is now known, is going to work that on his own via ruby scripts. As well as a bit of furniture, rough and Gallowish, here and there.
Redrobes has offered to supply FOHC with the terrain, which will go into sketchup as well, and perhaps terragen for an orthographic textured render. Roy wants to add a border around the map that imitates a birds eye view of different parts of the city, mimicking a view he found at rumsey maps (my favorite resource) as at 6 he is having trouble visualizing the top down view (ain't neber been in on a Wybern, he says, so totally in character, which by the way is named Royt Hayer, better known as HorseHair). So I have some homework to do.
Most likely mapping will take longer than adding bits of story to the Wiki, as kids have 100 ideas a minute and it is my job to sort them out with them, but it is their job to make a map. Which we will refine near the end.
BumbleMouse is our resident menu explorer and link/info finder, she is working from a list of words taken from the Thrubmorton Fen Wiki, and other places like the Journey Museum, to get information and reference pics, she is also the one who discovered Sketchups styles menu early on, leading to this very early in development render, which will perhaps be the basis for HorseHair's birds eye view Border.
Lemur, at 3, has contributed to buildings and sketchup, and being a master of "watch and learn" proved that the ruby script for roofs can be used on towers and circular buildings, after I had said it could not. The two squat circular buildings in the render, with the pointed roofs are part of her work, as are the bright yellow buildings in the background. The squat buildings have become the undoing of one Alfert Kier, as will soon be told on the Wiki, as they are vattish, they fit perfect. As for her yellow buildings all I know so far is "cheese" meaning I think this is the ageing house for the Quarrier Goats Cheese, or it is yelllow and made of cheese as is the moon, thank you, Wallace and Gromit .

"I looked for a man riding a horse, which is rare in West Fentor, a man who resembled a horse, which is common in West Fentor, even for a man who smelled like a horse, assuredly even more common, though I am befuddled as to why, as there are naught for Horses here."

From "The Weather outside is Frightful, BAAAAAA" A rainy day Snapgallow story by the FHCO , headed to a wiki soon

Redrobes has posted the second installment of Snapgallow Tells, as the kids call them to the Wiki
for us.
The stories are a group effort for the FHCO and I, they come up with ideas and then we flesh them out. Really they are for the kids, but we decided that, if we did it right, they could be used for background during a game, and the characters could become npc's, this one is known as "Fear the Head of Alfert Kier" by the FHCO's, and introduces just a bit of history and a few characters,,,and the head of Alfert Kier and its "deably" (read deadly) power,,,which will be expanded.
Their are currently 3 further Snapgallow Tells inwork, which tie in or expand on this one, each from an idea the kids came up with.
"Fick Bring Me a Chair", "Yelping Limestone", and "The Weather Outside is Frightful" (it was raining the day we wrote it).
Each has its own flavor, and introduce characters and traits that may not fall within any gaming system, but could be adapted.
They range in length from 4 to 15 pages, kids can set still when they are an active part of something after all,.
I do heartily suggest that if you have kids, involve them in the CWBP, this has been the most fun, the most fulfilling, map and story adventure I have ever had,,,,when we are done our map may not be awesome, but it will be kept.
SeerBlue

Thank Seer. Great idea, getting family involvement. If at the end of the day the only thing we have to show for the CWBP is your post, I think it will have been a success. Great work, giving real meaning to collaboration.